Our View: Thumbs up, thumbs down

THUMBS UP to the free tree and brush pickup currently being offered by the city of Cloquet. The city council agreed in May to contract with Cloquet-based 3D Construction to help clean up trees damaged by heavy winter snow. The contractor began Tuesday moving street by street to pick up brush, tree branches and tree trunks in pieces no longer than 5 feet. Throughout the city, residents prepared for their arrival by moving their tree debris to the curb. The debris was evident in all corners of most every neighborhood. It’s a relief the city recognized how its residents, churches, schools, businesses and other entities could use a collective hand, rather than work out disposal logistics lot by lot on their own. The effort could end up costing as much as $100,000, said the city, which will recoup 75 percent of costs because of the state of emergency approved by Gov. Tim Walz after the storms Dec. 13-15. It’s money well spent, we say.

THUMBS DOWN to endless social media inquiries about what to do with yard waste. The Pine Knot News began reporting in April about the possibility of a citywide cleanup effort. It was subsequently reported in multiple editions and on the newspaper’s website. Still, even as their neighbors were heeding city announcements and the newspaper’s reporting and bringing their debris to the curb or city dropoff locations, there were those who took to social media claiming they couldn’t find out anywhere what to do. (Sigh.) It’s no secret print news and social media share a grudging space in the information realm. We get it, sometimes it’s easy to just blast out a question into the void and wait for an answer. Loyal readers know we’ve been giving those answers all along, and it’s one reason why a subscription to the newspaper is also (ahem) money well spent.

THUMBS UP to Sen. Jason Rarick, R-Pine City, for helping secure $10 million in legislative assistance for the county’s $74.9 million justice center project. It’s not the $22.5 million the county asked for, but they asked for more than they needed anyway, officials said. The actual gap between $60 million in sales tax monies and additional costs was closer to $15 million. So there is still a gap, but it’s a lot smaller, and Sheriff Kelly Lake says there are funding sources the county can tap to fill that gap in ways other than taxing property owners. So, we’ll take that $10 million and encourage county officials to continue thinking outside the box to make up the difference. We also thank Rep. Dave Leslegard (DFL-Aurora) for helping the process along by signing on as chief author to the House bill in May.

THUMBS UP to Cloquet’s high school golfers. After winning a boys state championship in 2020-21, the golfing program has continued to prove it’s formidable to the point of being a powerhouse. This year, the girls team is rolling right along with the boys. Players have taken to romping around the Cloquet Country Club course at young ages and in big groups, fostering a collective love for the game. Even when spring comes late, the players show up prepared to score low. It’s really great to see boys coach Aaron Young and girls coach Matt Carlson deliver for the city’s kids, who can proudly say they’re annually among the teams to beat in all of the state. Here’s hoping Thursday’s final day of the section meet brought another round of successes and state berths.

THUMBS UP to those who have sent in ideas for a new Esko school nickname. Please keep them coming. We’ll publish them soon and share them with school officials.